adenosine triphosphate

(noun)

A nucleotide that occurs in biological organisms and is used as a source of energy in cellular reactions and processes.

Related Terms

  • phosphate
  • allotrope

Examples of adenosine triphosphate in the following topics:

  • Uses of Oxygen

    • Oxygen is used in mitochondria to help generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during oxidative phosphorylation.
  • Properties of Phosphorus

    • As phosphate, it is a component of DNA, RNA, ATP (adenosine triphosphate), and the phospholipids that form all cell membranes.
  • Phosphorus Compounds

    • Living cells also use phosphate to transport cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
  • The Primary Structure of DNA

    • The corresponding N-glycosides of the common sugar ribose are the building blocks of RNA, and are named adenosine, cytidine, guanosine and uridine (a thymidine analog missing the methyl group).
    • Anhydride-like di- and tri-phosphate nucleotides have been identified as important energy carriers in biochemical reactions, the most common being ATP (adenosine 5'-triphosphate).
  • Biosynthetic Mechanisms

    • The chief biological phosphorylation reagents are phosphate derivatives of adenosine (a ribose compound).
    • The strongest of these is the triphosphate ATP, with the diphosphate and monophosphate being less powerful.
  • The Secondary & Tertiary Structures of DNA

    • Once they had identified the favored base tautomers in the nucleosides, Watson and Crick were able to propose a complementary pairing, via hydrogen bonding, of guanosine (G) with cytidine (C) and adenosine (A) with thymidine (T).
    • DNA Polymerase: This family of enzymes link together nucleotide triphosphate monomers as they hydrogen bond to complementary bases.
    • Di- and triphosphate esters have anhydride-like structures and are consequently reactive phosphorylating reagents, just as carboxylic anhydrides are acylating reagents.
    • Since the pyrophosphate anion is a better leaving group than phosphate, triphosphates are more powerful phosphorylating agents than are diphosphates.
    • Since triphosphates are very reactive, the lifetime of such derivatives in an aqueous environment is relatively short.
  • RNA and Protein Synthesis

    • RNA synthesis is then initiated in the 3' direction, as nucleotide triphosphates bind to complementary bases on the template strand, and are joined by phosphate diester linkages.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.